Observations of a Serial Expat

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I blame James Bond

Despite my mother’s jaw-cracking cringe upon overhearing the line from “You Only Live Twice,”

“…in Japan men come first, women come second,”

in 1985, I sat in front of the Saturday night TV in complete awe of Mr. Bond.

Although my progressive mother feared I’d grow up wanting to be the women in the Bond films, I actually wanted to be 007 himself. Sophisticated, intelligent, athletic, cool, and at ease any place in the world. Never jet-lagged, not a hint of “Delhi Belly,” and never needed to search for an ATM at midnight in a foreign airport while being hounded by touts.

Was Ian Flemming’s creation really just one big glossy airline and tourism advert? If so, I totally bought in.

Reflecting back on my travels, I’ve passed through a handful of filming locations, though my experiences have been rather more pedestrian than Mr. Bond’s:

The soon to be released, “Skyfall,” was partially filmed in Shanghai and features a nighttime car chase through Pudong. I pushed a stroller around The Bund once while wearing long underwear and my daughter’s ski hat.

Thanks very much Jessica! I can completely relate to your primary school experience: in 5th grade I insisted that my nickname was 007 and was over the moon that my initials were the same as James Bond…. So dorky.